Quantifying Well-Being: A Big Idea for 2016

by Cameron Bowman, on December 21, 2015

In his contribution to LinkedIn’s #BigIdeas2016 series, Deepak Chopra, world renowned author and speaker, shared his view on the increased importance of well-being transparency and assessment as we move further into an age where health can be quantified and bolstered by technology.

For some, well-being may be an ambiguous concept that holds little importance to the material world. However, through research conducted by Gallup and Healthways, well-being is no longer a misunderstood idea nor an intangible notion - it can be definitively measured and interpreted.

Since 2008, Gallup and Healthways have partnered to understand the well-being of both individuals and populations. Together, we measure and study well-being so we can act efficiently and effectively to improve it. We have made it easier for business leaders and government officials to make informed decisions by helping them understand and quantify well-being through two key initiatives.

The first, a scientific survey instrument and reporting experience called the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being 5™, is used to give each participant a “single number that informs you of your total state of wellbeing,” as Dr. Chopra says of the ideal quantification, “evaluating not just the body's vital signs but the mind-body connection as well.” It measures the five interrelated elements that research has shown to have the greatest impact on an individual’s well-being: purpose, social, financial, community and physical. Insights gained through this assessment help individuals take the first steps on their journey to living better.

Our second initiative, the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index®, takes the concept of quantifying well-being at an individual level and expands it to include communities, states and nations. The Gallup-Healthways Global Well-Being Index uses self-reported data from individuals across the planet to create a unique view of global states of mind and societies’ progress on the elements that matter most to well-being. Globally, higher well-being has been associated with outcomes indicative of stability and resilience — for example, healthcare utilization, intent to migrate, trust in elections and local institutions, lowered daily stress, food/shelter security, volunteerism, and willingness to help others. Understanding these relationships allows world leaders insight into their populations that might not be otherwise transparent.

In his post, Dr. Chopra states “in short, wellness is about to become much more transparent as technology quantifies all the factors that contribute to wellbeing.”